Dare
by JulesFire
Summary: Starfire requests a 'party of slumber,' and that means Truth or Dare...I tried to make it original. Part of my First Kiss Series...enjoy! Dedicated to Juliet XD. I don't know the rules for language...so the rating is just for safety.


I wrote this one for **pink hooligan** (hi Juliet! XD) I had hoped to create a good, non-stereotypical Truth or Dare story. Hope I succeeded...

By the way, I'm still looking for suggestions for a chapter story...until then, I'm just going to keep posting my kiss ficlets since I still have so many. Hope that's ok!

Disclaimer: I don't own TT. I also don't own an iPod...and thanks for reminding me! (starts to cry)

-----------------------------------------------------

"So, to participate in this activity I am simply to sit here and wait to be told to execute a difficult and/or embarrassing task? But what is the object? How does one 'win?' Must there be a 'winner' in all games of a competitive nature?" Starfire was sitting cross-legged on the couch, facing Robin. He was trying to explain Truth or Dare, and he was having more trouble than he'd expected. Star had seen a slumber party on television, and wanted to experience one as it seemed to be something Earth girls did as a rite of passage into their teenage years. When she had asked Robin if they could hold an authentic 'Party of Slumber,' he had agreed even before asking the others. He knew how disappointed Star could get when she had her heart set on something and couldn't have it, and it made his heart ache to see her upset.

"Well, Star...this isn't really a competitive game. It's more for fun." Her eyes lit up with comprehension and he smiled, continuing. "And then there's the truth part. If you say 'truth' instead of 'dare,' all you have to do is answer a question."

Star laughed. "Well, that certainly sounds easier than the 'dare,' component, does it not? When we play, I shall choose 'truths.'" Robin grinned uneasily, thinking that her assessment couldn't be farther from reality. Telling the truth was often harder than performing the worst of dares...for instance, if someone were to ask him right that moment to describe what he was thinking as he watched Star stretching her long body, extending her arms gracefully and scrunching her face into a cute yawn, he would rather hop backwards around the room singing "God Save the Queen" in a pink nightgown than answer truthfully.

After a great deal of arguing with the others, Robin had to resort to threatening them with extra training hours before they agreed to have a 'party of slumber.' Now they were sitting in a circle on the living room floor, everyone in their uniforms except Robin and Star. He hadn't been able to convince the others to wear pajamas like Starfire wanted, but he himself had thrown on some red pajama pants and a black sleeveless shirt to appease her. Starfire was sitting next to him, leaning against the couch. She was dressed in little pink drawstring shorts and a tight white spaghetti-strap top, and he had to struggle not to stare. They were all laughing at Cyborg, who had just been dared by Raven to sing "I'm a Little Teapot," motions and all, at the top of his lungs, over and over for a full 5 minutes. Raven, surprisingly, was the one coming up with the best dares; clean, inventive, and very entertaining. Robin laughed hard, watching Cyborg attempt to bend sideways with his arm out without falling over. When Cyborg was finally allowed to sit, he turned on Robin.

"Ok, Rob, truth or dare?" Cyborg was feeling vindictive after his own humiliation, and Robin saw him glance mischievously between him and Star. "Truth," he said without thinking, the possibilities of Cyborg's dare running through his mind. Cyborg's human eye lit up and he grinned. "What's the password for your account on the Tower network?"

Damn. How did Cyborg find out about...but of course, Cyborg would be able to hack the system pretty easily. He'd had the same password for two years now: Starfire2002. It had been the first thing that popped into his head when they activated their accounts and chose passwords; he never was very creative. But the truth was, there was a reason she was the one he had been thinking of at the time; he was always thinking of her. She stayed there in the back of his mind, laughing her beautiful laugh and smiling her engaging smile, never giving him a moment's peace. She could never know. He looked down at his hands. "Birdboy17," he lied, looking up at Cyborg with a pleading expression on his face. Cyborg ignored it. "You're lying. But that question shouldn't have counted anyway, since I already knew the answer." That statement was met with many cries of protest, both because the others didn't get to hear Robin's answer, and because Cyborg apparently knew all of their passwords. The room erupted into chaos and Robin let out a breath, finding himself off the hook.

"Not so fast." Raven had seen Robin's sigh of relief. "That question didn't count; now you answer mine." She looked at Cyborg and nodded, as if to say 'I'll take it from here.' "What is the one thing that you love and value above all else?"

The room went silent. Beast Boy, who had been pelting Cyborg with kernels of popcorn, froze in mid-throw. Cyborg released his hold on the changeling's shirt. Starfire straightened up almost imperceptibly, tilting her head and fixing her eyes on Robin, who was in shock. His mind was racing. What did she say? Who ever heard of a Truth or Dare question like that? You were supposed to ask people about embarrassing secrets, not...things like that. What did he love...and suddenly there she was again, twirling around in his mind's eye, her shining red hair bouncing around her as she stopped spinning and winked at him over her shoulder. He shook his head clear of the image, but her name fought its way to the front of his brain: Starfire. What he loved and valued above all else...was her. And he had always known that; he'd just never thought about it until that moment. He needed her...and that was why he had to lie. He would rather be close to her as a friend than have their relationship strained by his inconvenient feelings.

"My R-Cycle," he finally said, cursing inwardly at the stupidity of his answer. Raven's eyes flashed dangerously, but she didn't pursue the matter. If Robin wanted to continue his denial and repression, then that was his prerogative. The others looked a bit surprised by his answer, and really didn't need Raven's empathetic powers to see that he wasn't telling the truth. Robin looked away from their inquisitive stares and toward Star, who for some reason looked as if she had just been deflated. Her shoulders slumped forward, her mouth curved downward, and he thought he saw the glint of a single tear on the inside corner of one of her entrancing eyes. Say something, he told himself. Say ANYTHING. "Starfire," he managed, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answered promptly, her voice carrying an undercurrent of sadness. Robin didn't know what had done this to her, but he didn't want to add to the problem. He decided to ask her a meaningless question; one that wouldn't embarrass or upset her. Then he remembered Cyborg's question. "What's_ your_ password?" he asked, assuming that she would say something like 'tamaranian18' or 'pinkbunny96' and this game could finally end.

Star bit her lip. She had chosen truth, and in her mind that meant she was bound by honor to tell it, no matter the results. She took a deep breath and looked down. "Robin2002," she admitted, the tear that had been threatening to fall finally rolling down her cheek as she shut her eyes. It was too late to make an excuse for her choice; they could already see by her emotional reaction that the name meant something. Robin stared at her, not quite processing what he had just heard. "2002?" he asked absently, his mind reeling. Star nodded. "It is the year...the year that—"

"The year we met," he finished for her. Of course he knew that; it was why he had chosen the same number. She blushed deeply and turned away from him, grabbing a pillow from the couch and hugging it to her chest. "Raven, truth or—"

"Dare." Starfire jumped when she heard Robin's voice and not Raven's interrupting her. She composed herself and turned toward him, looking at him warily. "Um...I dare you..." she trailed off in confusion when Robin started to move towards her. He crawled the few feet to where she was sitting and settled back on his heels next to her. Slowly, he reached a hand up to her face and placed it under her chin, tilting her face up. His actions and his features displayed complete confidence, but she could feel his hand shaking rather violently as he touched her. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath as if summoning courage, and in one smooth movement he leaned in and captured her mouth in a kiss. Starfire's lips were parted slightly out of surprise, and he took advantage of it, running his tongue lightly between them. She still sat there frozen for a full 6 seconds, which seemed to Robin to last an eternity. Finally, the muscles in her face relaxed under his hand, and he felt her breathe into him, expelling all of her uncertainty and fear with a single sigh. He moved his hand behind her head, gently pulling her in, and she stroked his cheek with a trembling hand, running it down across his chest and over his shoulder before placing both hands gently on his neck. A small moan resonated in the back of Robin's throat as he wrapped one arm around Star's waist. Perfect, he thought with a sigh as her fingers played in his hair. Nothing could ruin this moment...

"Ahem," Raven said dryly, tapping his shoulder. They broke, looking quite ashamed but not regretful. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked as though they had been paralyzed with their eyes open as wide as they could go. Cyborg was the first to recover. He cleared his throat and grinned. "Ya know, Robin, you could've just let me dare you to do that in the first place..."


End file.
